The present invention relates generally to an improved system for controlling the movement of trains along a railroad track and, more particularly, to a portable on-board computer system for use with a communication-based train control (CBTC) system.
Some known rail systems use a CBTC system to promote safe and efficient transportation. When a train without a CBTC-compatible computer system enters a CBTC system territory, or when an on-board CBTC-compatible computer system within a CBTC system territory stops functioning, the CBTC system becomes “dark” and is no longer aware of every train within the rail system. Some known “dark” rail systems maintain their safety and integrity by requiring train crews to manually control their respective trains and to communicate via such means available to each train. However, a “dark” rail system is generally significantly less efficient than an operable CBTC system because it requires manual control of each train, which demands increased distances between trains, slower operating train speeds, and a reduced frequency of trains that move through a section of railroad. Therefore, there is a need to enable trains that do not include functioning on-board computer systems to communicate with a CBTC system as it travels through a CBTC system territory.